Suitcase for Luggage

ABSTRACT

A suitcase for carrying luggage during trips comprises a case having a top portion, a bottom portion, an interior portion, an exterior portion, a pair of horizontally extending opposing side walls, a pair of vertically extending opposing side walls positioned between the pair of horizontally extending opposing side walls, a plurality of pockets having a first edge and a second edge, a valve and an air tight closing means attached to the interior portion, an air deflating device with an elongated hose, a hand engaging means and a locking means attached to the bottom portion of the suitcase. The articles are placed inside the plurality of pockets and sealed air tight. The air deflating device is operated utilizing electric power to deflate the plurality of pockets. The deflated plurality of pockets may create even more room inside the suitcase without crumpling the articles.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This embodiment relates to the field of suitcases and more particularlyto vacuum-packed suitcases that immobilize and reduce the volume ofclothes and other items inside thereby increasing the storage capacityof the suitcase.

DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

Several types of suitcases are widely used by people to carry personalitems such as clothing, toiletries, business papers and othermiscellaneous articles. These suitcases may include rigid or expandablecompartments. There may be a single compartment or multiplecompartments. Some suitcases contain inflatable compartments. The airchambers of suitcases with inflatable compartments are expanded usingpressurized air from a separate pumping mechanism. This maximizes thenumber of articles in a suitcase because the contents of the suitcaseare compressed.

The main problem associated with the use of these suitcases whiletravelling is to protect and maintain the articles of clothing, preventwrinkling of the clothing, and maximize the amount of clothing and otherarticles to be carried in the suitcase. Conventional suitcases eitherhave an expandable body or may have fixed compartments. These suitcasesdo not possess a single compact system to inflate or deflate theinterior of the suitcase

U.S. Pat. Application No. 20080185250 entitled to Martins on Aug. 7,2008, describes a case for containing at least partly compressiblearticles. The case comprises an outer shell which can be opened andclosed and defines a cavity therein, an attachment member or memberssecured to the outer shell inside the cavity, and a number ofcompression bags is contained within the shell cavity. The compressionbags are detachable and retained by attachment members to maintain arelative position with respect to one another within the case. Each ofthe compression bags is air-tight when sealed and contain the articleswithin the enclosure. They include a one-way valve, allowing air to beremoved from the enclosure within the bag, thereby creating at least apartial vacuum in the enclosure which compresses the articles within thebag. However the case does not include an integrated device within thesuitcase for compressing the bags without wrinkling the articles.

One prior art, taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,574 issued to Anthony onDec. 31, 2002, discloses a vacuum packed suitcase with speciallyarranged sealable compartments for vacuum sealing of articles of travelsuch as clothing and makeup accessories. The suitcase includes a topcover and a rigidly constructed bottom receptacle. The bottom receptaclehas one or more separate article compartments separated by vertical orhorizontal walls for organizing the articles of travel. The top coverand bottom receptacle remain air tight when sealed over each other.After packing the articles of travel the air in the compartments can beremoved separately from each compartment, or collectively by means of avacuum pump. This reduces the volume of the articles of travel to aminimum and increases the storage efficiency. However a device foreither inflating or deflating the compartments is not attached with thesuitcase. Further the compartments are not hinged to the interior of thesuitcase and may create difficulty in accessing the articles.

One prior art, taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,253 issued to Weissman onOct. 24, 2000, discloses a suitcase. The suitcase is provided with acompressive liner encapsulating an air tight packaging chamber andhaving a sealable opening to allow placement and removal of clothing andother articles within the packaging chamber. In a relaxed state thevolume of the packaging chamber is substantially greater than the volumeof the suitcase interior, thereby enlarging the available packing space.When the liner is filled and sealed closed, air is withdrawn from thepacking chamber by a motorized vacuum pump, causing the liner tocollapse and compress the contents, thereby reducing the volume of thepacking chamber to a size which fits within the closed suitcase. Aone-way valve holds the vacuum within the chamber, maintaining the linerin the collapsed state until the opening is unsealed. However thesuitcase does not include hinged compartments from which it would beeasier to retrieve the stored articles. Furthermore, it does not possessa single system integrated within the suitcase for compressing thecontents without crumpling.

Therefore, there is a need for a suitcase that can transport clothingand other miscellaneous articles without wrinkling Such a suitcase wouldprovide a device integrated within it to deflate the compartments orpockets to increase the storage capacity. The compartments would beattached to the suitcase such that the content of any compartment can betaken out without wrinkling other stored articles. Moreover a user wouldbe able to easily retrieve the articles inside the suitcase in thestored condition. The present invention accomplishes these objectives.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a suitcase for carrying luggage. The suitcasecomprises a case having a top portion, a bottom portion, an interiorportion, an exterior portion, a pair of horizontally extending opposingside walls, a pair of vertically extending opposing side walls, eachbeing positioned at the terminal ends of the pair of horizontallyextending opposing side walls, a plurality of pockets having a firstedge and a second edge attached to the interior portion of the case, anair deflating device with an elongated hose, a hand engaging means and alocking means attached to the bottom portion of the suitcase. The airdeflating device is operated utilizing electric power to deflate theplurality of pockets. The deflated plurality of pockets may create moreroom inside the suitcase and keep the articles without wrinkles.

The top portion of the case is hingedly attached to the bottom portionto facilitate opening and closing the suitcase which allows access tothe interior portion of the suitcase. The plurality of pockets isreleasably secured to a second side wall of the bottom portion. Each ofthe plurality of pockets includes a valve and an air tight closingmeans. While deflating the plurality of pockets, the articles residinginside may not get crumpled. The suitcase is especially suited forcarrying garments in an easy manner without crumpling the garments whiletravelling. The plurality of pockets may be removed whenever desired bya user to create more room and to transport a variety of goods insidethe suitcase.

The air deflating device attached to the interior portion of thesuitcase may be a compressor pump powered from an external power source.The articles are placed inside the plurality of pockets and sealed airtight by operating the air tight closing means. A little amount of airmay be trapped inside the plurality of pockets even after closing theair tight closing means and the valves. The elongated hose is attachedto the valve and the air deflating device is operated to remove thetrapped air thereby increasing the effective room inside the suitcaseand allows a user to carry more articles without crumpling. The airdeflating device and the elongated hose is arranged as a single unitinside the suitcase.

The present invention provides a suitcase for luggage having a pluralityof pockets for storing articles during trips. The suitcase includes anair deflating device which is kept as a single unit inside the suitcase.Such a suitcase effectively utilizes the available room by compressingthe stored articles without crumpling them. Other features andadvantages of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing more detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, theprinciples of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a suitcase for carrying luggage inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating a perspective view of the suitcase in acompletely open position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an attaching means provided on aplurality of pockets in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating the suitcase with an air deflatingdevice connected to the external power source of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a suitcase 10 for carrying luggage. Thesuitcase 10 comprises a case 12 having a top portion 14, a bottomportion 16, an interior portion 18 and an exterior portion 20. Thebottom portion 16 comprises a pair of horizontally extending opposingside walls (not shown), a pair of vertically extending opposing sidewalls (not shown), each being positioned at the terminal ends of thepair of horizontally extending opposing side walls (not shown) defininga carrying compartment for placing articles, a plurality of pockets 24attached to the interior portion 18 of the case 12 having a first edge26 and a second edge (not shown) parallel to the first edge 26 and anair deflating device 32 with an elongated hose 34 located inside the topportion 14. A hand engaging means 38 is attached to the exterior portion20. A locking means 36 is provided on the suitcase 10 for securing thetop portion 14 with the bottom portion 16.

The suitcase 10 may have a rectangular shape with rounded or squarecorners. The material of construction of the suitcase 10 may be selectedfrom a group consisting of metals, hard plastics, cloths, vinyl andleather. The suitcase 10 more or less keeps the rectangular shape. Thetop portion 14 substantially matches with the bottom portion 16 of thecase 12. The top portion 14 is hingedly attached to a second side wall(not shown) about an axis (not shown) parallel to the first side wall22. The top portion 14 is alternatively openable and closable forrespectively opening and closing the suitcase 10 to allow access to theinterior portion 18 of the suitcase 10. The plurality of pockets 24 isattached to the second side wall (not shown) of the bottom portion 16.The plurality of pockets 24 includes an air tight closing means 30. Theplurality of pockets 24 may be a vacuum bag with a zip fastener. Afterplacing the articles of travel within the plurality of pockets 24, theair tight closing means 30 is closed. Each of the plurality of pockets24 includes a valve 28 at one side.

The suitcase 10 is provided with the locking means 36 to secure thearticles kept inside the plurality of pockets 24. The locking means 36may be selected from a group consisting of key locks, combination locksand biometric locks. The hand engaging means 38 is firmly attached tothe first side wall 22 of the bottom portion 16. A person can easilycarry the suitcase 10 by holding the hand engaging means 38 whiletravelling.

FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating a perspective view of the suitcase in acompletely open position. The top portion 14 of the suitcase 10 ishinged to the second side wall 44 of the case 12. The top portion 14 isadapted to be moved between the outwardly extending open positionillustrated in FIG. 2 and the closed position wherein the top portion 14rests on the bottom portion 16 of the case 12. The plurality of pockets24 is releasably secured to the second side wall 44 with suitablefastening elements such as Velcro. A strip of Velcro loops 46 areprovided on an edge parallel to the first edge 26 of the plurality ofpockets 24. The plurality of pockets 24 are designed to fit inside thecase 12 and may carry articles like garments, toiletries, businesspapers etc. While deflating the plurality of pockets 24, the articlesresiding inside may not get crumpled. The suitcase 10 is especiallysuited for carrying garments in an easy manner without crumpling whiletravelling. The plurality of pockets 24 may be detached, wheneverrequired, to create more room and to transport a variety of goods insidethe suitcase 10.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an attaching means provided on aplurality of pockets in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The attaching means may be Velcro loops 46 and Velcro hooks48. The second side wall (not shown) is adapted to receive the pluralityof pockets 24 as they are provided with Velcro hooks 48 to attach withthe corresponding Velcro loops 46 on each of the plurality of pockets24. The plurality of pockets 24 may be constructed from specializedmaterials having a flexible and a leak proof structure. The airimpermeable material prevents air form getting into and out of theplurality of pockets 24 from/to the surrounding environment. Theplurality of pockets 24 can be removed whenever desired by detaching thebonding between the Velcro loops 46 and the Velcro hooks 48.

FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating the suitcase with an air deflatingdevice connected to the external power source of the present invention.The air deflating device 32 may be attached to the interior portion 18.The elongated hose 34 connected to the air deflating device 32 isflexible and have sufficient length to connect to the valves 28 of theplurality of pockets 24. The air deflating device 32 attached to thesuitcase 10 may be a compressor pump, powered from an external powersource 50. The compressor pump is connected to the external power source50 using a power cord 40 and a plug 42, which is provided at the end ofthe power cord 40. The articles are placed inside the plurality ofpockets 24 and sealed air tight by operating the air tight closing means30. A little amount of air may be trapped inside the plurality ofpockets 24 even after closing the air tight closing means 30 and thevalves. Thus the plurality of pockets 24 may not compress beyond alimit. The possibility of adding more articles inside the suitcase 10 islimited due to the presence of the trapped air inside the plurality ofpockets 24. For removing the air trapped inside the plurality of pockets24 the elongated hose 34 is attached to the valve 28. The air deflatingdevice 32 is operated to remove the trapped air from the plurality ofpockets 24. The removed air will be exhausted to the atmosphere. Theeffective room inside the suitcase 10 is increased and may be employedto carry more articles without crumpling. The air deflating device 32with the elongated hose 34 is arranged as a single unit inside thesuitcase 10.

While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it will be apparent that various modifications can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Forexample, the air deflating device 32 with the elongated hose 34 may belocated anywhere in the interior portion 18. Likewise, the air deflatingdevice 32 may further includes an inbuilt battery pack inside thesuitcase 10 to receive power. Accordingly, it is not intended that theinvention be limited, except as by the appended claims.

1. A suitcase comprising: a case having a top portion, a bottom portion,an interior portion, an exterior portion, a pair of horizontallyextending opposing side walls, a pair of vertically extending opposingside walls each being positioned at a pair of terminal ends of the pairof horizontally extending opposing side walls, defining a carryingcompartment for articles placed therein; a plurality of pockets attachedto the interior portion of the case, each of the plurality of pocketsincludes a first edge and a second edge; an air deflating device with anelongated hose, the air deflating device operated utilizing an externalpower supply; a hand engaging means attached to the bottom portion; anda locking means associated with the bottom portion for securing thebottom portion of the case with the top portion thereof; whereby theplurality of pockets are filled with articles and deflated therebyincreasing an effective room inside the suitcase and allowing a user tocarry the articles without crumpled.
 2. The suitcase of claim 1 whereinthe top portion is hingedly connected to the case for opening andclosing the top portion to access the plurality of pockets attached tothe interior portion of the case using a set of attaching means.
 3. Thesuitcase of claim 2 wherein the set of attaching means may be a Velcrostrip releasably attaching the plurality of pockets having a valve andan air tight closing means to the interior portion of the case.
 4. Thesuitcase of claim 1 wherein the air deflating device may be a compressorpump fixed on an inner surface of the top portion.
 5. The suitcase ofclaim 1 wherein the elongated hose may be flexible for connecting thevalve to evacuate the plurality of pockets.
 6. The suitcase of claim 1wherein the valve prevents air from returning back to the plurality ofpockets thereby increasing the effective room inside the suitcase. 7.The suitcase of claim 1 wherein the compressor pump may be powered froman external power supply utilizing a power cord.
 8. The suitcase ofclaim 1 wherein the hand engaging means is attached firmly to the casefor holding the suitcase while travelling.
 9. The suitcase of claim 1wherein the case may have a rectangular shape with rounded corners andmay be secured utilizing the locking means which may be selected from agroup consisting of: key locks, combination locks and biometric locks.10. A suitcase for carrying articles without crumpling, the suitcasecomprising: a case having a plurality of walls defining a storagecompartment; a plurality of vacuum bags, each having an air tight valve,a Velcro strip at a first edge and a closing means with a fasteningmeans at a second edge; an air deflating unit which comprises acompressor pump and an elongated flexible hose; a locking means forsecuring the case; and a hand engaging means attached to the case. 11.The suitcase of claim 10 wherein the plurality of vacuum bags attachedinside the case may be detachable whenever desired by a user.
 12. Thesuitcase of claim 10 wherein the fastening means may be a zip fastenerto close the plurality of vacuum bags to keep air tight.
 13. Thesuitcase of claim 10 wherein the elongated flexible hose attached to theair tight valve deflates the plurality of vacuum bags to increase aneffective room inside the suitcase.
 14. The suitcase of claim 10 whereinthe case may be made of materials selected from a group consisting ofmetals, hard plastics, cloths, vinyl and leather.
 15. A method forstoring articles in a suitcase, the method comprising the steps of: a)providing the suitcase having a top portion and a bottom portion; b)hinging the top portion and keeping the top portion in an open position;c) placing the articles inside a plurality of pockets provided withinthe suitcase; d) closing and sealing the plurality of pockets air tightutilizing a closing means to secure the article; e) connecting anelongated hose to a valve of the plurality of pockets; f) deflating theplurality of pockets by operating an air deflating device; g) closingthe valve to prevent air from getting back into the plurality ofpockets; and h) securing the suitcase utilizing a locking means.
 16. Themethod of claim 15 wherein the top portion is hingedly attached to thebottom portion.
 17. The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality ofpockets includes a Velcro strip at a second edge attached to an interiorportion of the case.
 18. The method of claim 15 wherein the airdeflating device provided with an elongated hose may be placed on aninner surface of the top portion.
 19. The method of claim 15 wherein theelongated hose is connected to the valve thereafter operating the airdeflating device to deflate the plurality of pockets without wrinklingthe article.
 20. The method of claim 15 wherein the suitcase is securedby locking the top portion with the bottom portion using a locking meanswhich may be selected from a group consisting of key locks, combinationlocks and biometric locks.